Trooper of the MonthApril 2012

Congratulations, Trooper Jeffrey A. VanArsdale, for being selected as the Florida Highway Patrol Trooper of the Month for April 2012.

VanArsdale was dispatched to a hit-and-run traffic crash involving a motorcycle and a black vehicle located on U.S. 41 at Murdock Circle in Charlotte County. When he arrived to the scene, he found only the motorcycle and its rider severely injured.

The initial call came through the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department, and they were actively looking for the vehicle when VanArsdale was dispatched. They located and started following the suspect vehicle by helicopter northbound on Toledo Blade Boulevard. A Department of Environmental Protection police unit also was in the vicinity and attempted to locate the suspect vehicle, a black Dodge Durango. The DEP officer located the suspect vehicle, followed it southbound on Toledo Blade Boulevard and reported to the dispatch center that he was behind the suspect vehicle. VanArsdale asked the Sheriff’s Office to assist with securing the scene so that he could proceed to the location of the hit-and-run suspect. With the assistance of a North Port Police Officer, the DEP unit initiated a traffic stop. VanArsdale arrived moments later and transported the male suspect to the hospital for a blood draw.

He later arrested and charged the man with Driving Under the Influence with serious bodily injuries, two counts of DUI property damage, leaving the scene of a traffic crash with serious bodily injuries, leaving the scene with property damage, driving while license suspended, failure to render aid and careless driving.

VanArsdale is working with the State Attorney’s Office. The suspect is currently in the Charlotte County Jail pending prosecution.